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Email to a potential supervisor

The first email to a possible PhD or master's supervisor: who you are, what you read of their work, why you fit and one clear question.

Your brief

Draft language

Type your details in Arabic or English. Your draft is written in English.

0 / 160
What are you looking for?
Your situation

One paper, talk or project you really read, and one specific point: a method, a result, a limitation. This line is what sets you apart.

0 / 900

Degree, grades if they help, thesis or projects, methods, publications. Numbers where they are true.

0 / 1,200

One or two lines: a direction, not a full proposal.

0 / 800

A scholarship you have or are applying for, when you could start, and what you attach.

0 / 600
Length

Uses up to 286 words of your plan. Only the words actually written are counted.

Not signed in? You can write one free draft as a guest.

What you will get

A medium-length first email to the professor, built on their work and your facts.

Your draft

Your draft will appear here. You can edit it or open it in the editor.

What a professor looks for

  1. A subject line they can sort at a glance: the topic or position, and your degree.
  2. Proof you read their work: one paper, named, and one specific thought about it. Generic praise is how mass emails give themselves away.
  3. Your fit in facts: the methods and results that match their group, not adjectives.
  4. Under 250 words, with one question they can answer quickly: are they taking students, is the position open, may you send a proposal?
  5. Attachments they can open on a phone: a two-page CV and a transcript as PDFs, never a whole thesis.

Recommended workspace settings

Mode
Academic
Emotion
Neutral
Vocabulary
Standard
Length
Shorter
The whole pack: Research & academia

Prefer to write it yourself?

Start from the outline

The outline opens in the workspace with the recommended settings. Replace each [bracket] with your own words, then rewrite it.

Subject: Prospective [PhD / master's] student: [topic in a few words] ([your degree, university])Dear Professor [last name],[Who you are and what you ask, in one sentence: your degree, and whether they are taking students in [area], or the position you are applying to, with its reference.][Their work: one paper, talk or project you read, by name, and one specific thought about it: a method you would use, a result you would test, a question it raised.][Your fit, in facts: your thesis or project, the methods you used, one result with a number.][The question you would like to work on, in one or two sentences. A direction, not a full proposal.][Practical details: funding you have or are applying for, when you could start, what you attached.][One easy question: may you send a short proposal, or would they be open to a short call?]Best regards,[Your full name][Degree, university] | [link to your thesis, GitHub or Google Scholar]
Open the outline in the workspace

See it done well

Finished examples

Read a complete one, written from a brief like yours, with notes on why each part works.